The present invention relates to a vacuum cup carton handler for a carton loading machine which has a handling section that will bend a flap on a carton to be filled along its score line automatically before depositing the carton onto a conveyor for inserting product.
Rotary placers have long been used for handling cartons and carton loading machines. One such device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,570 which is incorporated herein fully by reference. It includes a vacuum holder for receiving cartons from a store or supply, and then moves the carton to a position where it will be deposited on a conveyor for subsequent loading of products into the carton. Vacuum cups are used for holding the carton while the rotary placer moves the carton to the conveyor, and then a control is used for releasing the vacuum so that the carton can be moved along the conveyor. However, U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,570 does not include any structure for positively moving or "breaking" a carton flap between two positions.
Carton formation systems of various kinds have been used for erecting cartons so that they can be appropriately packed, and for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,359 shows such a provision. The present invention fulfills a need for properly breaking or bending a carton flap along a score line for ease in subsequent handling and loading.